visionary
morich
storm
hammer
columbia
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Your village called, they want their idiot back!

1. Storm (most versatile, could use a better heavy oil coverstock)
2. Brunswick (wide variety, jealous of the Inferno)
3. Dynothane (not so many balls, not much overlap, Element is interesting)
4. Columbia (same thing over and over, but can work for most anyone)
5. Roto Grip (really like these, customers just don't know who they are)
6. Lane #1 (not much going on with them in TX, but good quality, hit great)
7. Track (pretty good stuff, not as much variety, medium to dry???)
8. Hammer (everything they have hooks)
9. AMF (probably pretty good stuff if I could get someone to buy it)
10. AZO (wish you could deal with them easier)
11. Morich (not much demand for them, but I bet they are pretty nice)
12. Visionary (no demand for them at all)
15. Ebonite (V2's and ......)
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Mike Austin
Mike Austin's Precision Pro Shop
Houston, TX
strikes4days@sbcglobal.net
Storm Pro Shop Staff Member
Vise Grips Staff Member


Onward through the Storm!!!!

Check out our web site - www.BirdDogBowling.com

1-TRACK


The rest have been left in dust. There are a couple of honorable mention companies.

Storm
Brunswick
Roto Grip
Dynothane(except the Anomaly)

The OVERHYPED....
Lane 1
Columbia 300
Ebonite

Okay, here we go!

1.  Lane #1 - They seem to match up very well with my game.  Love the C2 series and my Carbide LRG (Thanks Drillwizard!)

2.  Brunswick - Have only thrown the Danger Zone HPD and the Red Fuze, but they were my goto balls when I was beginning to bowl.  I would still throw some Brunswick (I would like to see what I can do with a Time Zone), but I try to stick to Lane #1 to keep from buying a ball a month.

3.  MoRich - Loved my Colossus Supreme and Pearl Colossus.  Only downfall was that the coverstock on the supreme was very high maintenance.

4.  Columbia and Storm - I feel that their balls are very condition specific, but on the right condition they seem to work very well.  Trauma ER and Cuda 2000 were the worst reacting balls that I have ever thrown.

5.  Roto Grip - I have only thrown the original assault, but it didn't do much for me.

6.  Hammer - Again I have only thrown the Crimson Sledge and it sucked.  I like the way the new hammer stuff seems to react, the Blade series may be the best balls on the market for the price today.

Have never thrown (but I may one day):

Ebonite (only ebonite ball I have ever thrown was the clear skull)

Dyno-Thane (My brother loves his anomaly, the ball broke him out of a serious slump this year)

Visionary (Thought about getting a clear Gargoyle, but visionary is very difficult to find in my area)
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I've found that the RESET button is the easiest way to knock down ten pins.

1.Roto-Grip
2.Roto-Grip
3.Roto-Grip
4.Roto-Grip
5.Ebonite

I fund it amusing that some poeple list lane1 as their favorite and then put Brunswick at or near the bottom of their list when lane 1 uses the brunswick coverstocks, the similarities betweent he two are amazing and yet so far apart on the rankings.

1. Big B
2. Lane 1
3. Hammer
4. everything else
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You can always hit em hard when you've got the balls

Lefties are the only people in their right minds.

no1bucsfan

I hate these topics -- many posters rating companies they haven't even thrown.  But I'll throw in my thoughts:

1) Ebonite - (12 balls owned). Covers at least as many conditions as any other company. Their asymmetric cores are very drill sensitive, so they get a bad rap when bowlers punch out the wrong patterns. Pick the right ball and lay it out correctly, and the company is as good as any.

2) Track - (4 balls owned). Excellent company. Their higher end equipment is as good as it gets. Company weakness is that they focus too much on the high end stuff.

3) Columbia - (6 balls owned). Another good company that offers a complete line-up. Their "post TEC" particle covers are much improved. Strong line-up from top to bottom, but they lack asymmetric core choices if that's important to you.

4) Storm - (20+ balls owned). Good overall line-up, but I've never considered them best of breed in any one category. They lack really good oilers. Their lower end stuff has traditionally been OK, but nothing compared to Ebonite. Storm's strength has been in the mid-range, which is what most bowlers need anyway.

5) Lane#1 - (3 balls owned). I just don't get the Lane#1 thing. Their diamond core is OK, but I just can't see building an arsenal around it, at least from a typical stroker perspective.

6) Brunswick - (4 balls owned). I've not been inspired by my Brunswick equipment. My first sanctioned 300 was with a Danger Zone Red Alert, but I sold it soon there after. But in fairness, I've seen many bowlers to do well with the line.
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"You want the truth? -- You can't handle the truth! "

This goes to current rankings for my game with what I have owned or used extensively in parenthesis followed by how many I recall seeing friends or teammates using regularly.  I'll indicate where I think the balls do better for other folks and what I have observed.

1.  Dynothane.  (12 balls owned or used; teammates or friends 5)  Fewer of the ups and downs.  The Element is the best ball I have thrown, the Thing Returns the best pearl and the Barrage the best dry lanes ball.  The Vendetta and Vendetta Particle have definite places in any bag, and the Anomaly, though not quite as advertised for me (it is for some folks I know) is one of the best carrydown control balls (if kept dull) I have seen.  I didn't like the Vendetta Black.   The Soaker coverstock is extraordinary.

2.  Brunswick.  (14 balls owned or used; teammates or friends 30+)  OK, I hated the Blitz's, disliked most of the Zones, but the Monster Series has been very good, with the Frenzy, ScreamR and the Brimstone very, good.  The Bruiser is fine, the SlayR is fine, the SmashR not as advertised, but on a hard-wet dry, a very fine ball.  The Inferno was overhyped, but the new Zones, Time and Warp are very good.  Coverstocks are very durable, even if the particles need extensive maintenance.

3.  Visionary.  (6 balls owned or used; teammates or friends 10)  The Gryphons are good, strong rolling, consistent equipment.  The Executioner and Gargoyle series were fine for the THBs I saw using them, quite forgiving.  The D.C. Warlocks were silly strong.    

4.  Storm.  (7; many, many)  Frankly, I didn't like some of the Trauma line at all, the Too Hot was good, but short-lived and the X Factor was fine but over-touchy and over-rated.  But their mid-priced line may be the best in the business on pure skid flip performance.  The king of flippy equipment.

5.  Columbia.  (17 self; couple of dozen)  Up and down.  Some Great equipment for me (Reaction Rev, Blue Pulse, Spirit, Throttle Up), some horrible (Remake of the Pulse, Throttle R).  Coverstock longevity (TEC, TEC2, UFO) is a serious problem.

6.  Track.  (16; many many) Last year it would have been #1. The Magic Series and the Monies...wonderful...Magic, Voodoo, Hex, EZ Money, Mojo, Money, Spell...all VERY good.   Now, for me, not good.  Recent equipment is either over-aggressive or doesn't last long enough to even get a read on.  However, many of my friends absolutely love the Freak/Phenom series.  Unfortunately, the balls in the Freak series just plain die after about 60-80 games for me and the Animal ain't.  The Crunch is also not a favorite.

7. Hammer.  (1; many) I've tried several, but I haven't found anything they make that is not too smooth for my tastes for the place the equipment is supposed to have in an arsenal, so I have refrained from buying.  I have to say, lots of people have done very well with the Blade and Diesel series.  Whoever made the Vicious Particle should be strung up by their thumbs.

8.  Ebonite.  (3; many) I can't say they make bad equipment, but I have yet to find a ball other than the Savage Flip that I like.  The Stingers were overstrong or understrong, the APEX and Matrix line just didn't work -- too early rolling, too dead, too soon.  I have friends who swear by the stuff...but, not for me.
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"I don't mind if you don't like my manners. I don't like them myself. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings."

Edited on 3/2/2004 11:18 AM